A group of Centertown merchants representing Bedford Main Street Inc. presented plans for the organization’s future to Bedford City Council last Tuesday, stating that “with the merchants organized and truly working together we can build Main Street into a sustaining program within a short time.”

Three Bedford County students scheduled to attend the R.E. Cook Regional Alternative School this year will be transferred to the Bridge School in Bedford, because of a planned relocation of that school.

Sou Yasuda, 13, of Toyama, Japan is having a great adventure this summer.

Part of the adventure is that he’s spending four weeks in Bedford County living with an American family in the Thaxton area. The other part of the adventure is that Yasuda does not speak English and the DeWald family, the Americans hosting him, do not speak Japanese.

Actually, Yasuda does know a little English, he’s been taking it in Japan. This summer he’s been learning by the immersion method, or in this case, the swim or sink method.

Not long after the Gingerbread Cafe closed, a new lunch spot opened on North Bridge Street at that location.

According to Teri Okuley, that was deliberate. Okuley owns Ivy Bridge Cafe. She wanted to get the doors open before Gingerbread Cafe’s customer base drifted away. Renovation work started in March, a month after Gingerbread closed and the new restaurant opened its doors for the first time on June 2

The Cash for Clunkers program has highlighted several key points for all of us to remember. Consider this:

• The public has taken full advantage of the opportunity to receive $4,500 for their old gas-guzzling vehicles from the government. This shouldn’t be a surprise. Most folks like “free” money and this taxpayer-supported program has provided a great opportunity to take advantage of that. In fact it has been so well utilized that the program has cashed out in its first week. That leads to the next point...

To date, much has been said in the media by the representatives of both sides of the fence regarding proposed healthcare legislation. Hopefully serious debate will continue until citizens have a plan that serves better than the system currently in use. The exception being, of course, the one Congress enjoys at tax payer expense.

As I return home from Congress for an extended work period in the district, I will be devoting most of my time to discussing health care reform with constituents and doctors. For weeks, I made clear to Congressional leaders that we should not rush a vote on health care. I have already met with over 150 doctors and medical professional in our district about health care, and each meeting produces better ideas for improving health care and reducing costs.